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miscellaneous-mice's avatar
miscellaneous-mice
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11 days ago
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Securing device: How to disable JTAG port?

Hello everyone, I am currently working on a design where we have strict security requirements. To prevent unauthorized readback, tampering, or reverse-engineering, our goal is to completely disable ...
Configuration
Programmable Logic Device
  • FakhrulA_altera's avatar
    FakhrulA_altera
    10 days ago

    Hi,
     

    For Cyclone V SoC, the JTAG pins are dedicated pins connected to the device’s TAP controller, so they cannot be reassigned as normal user I/O. This is why they are locked in Pin Planner and do not appear under Dual-Purpose Pins.

    For production security, the recommended method is to use the device’s Design Security features, in particular:

    • JTAG Secure Mode
    • encrypted configuration/programming


    If physical access also needs to be blocked, this should be done at board level, for example by removing or isolating the external JTAG connection.

    Please refer to Cyclone V Device Handbook Volume 1, Chapter 7: Configuration and Design Security, especially the sections on JTAG Secure Mode and Design Security Implementation Steps.

    Regards,
    Fakhrul

FakhrulA_altera's avatar
FakhrulA_altera
Icon for Regular Contributor rankRegular Contributor
10 days ago

Hi,
 

For Cyclone V SoC, the JTAG pins are dedicated pins connected to the device’s TAP controller, so they cannot be reassigned as normal user I/O. This is why they are locked in Pin Planner and do not appear under Dual-Purpose Pins.

For production security, the recommended method is to use the device’s Design Security features, in particular:

  • JTAG Secure Mode
  • encrypted configuration/programming


If physical access also needs to be blocked, this should be done at board level, for example by removing or isolating the external JTAG connection.

Please refer to Cyclone V Device Handbook Volume 1, Chapter 7: Configuration and Design Security, especially the sections on JTAG Secure Mode and Design Security Implementation Steps.

Regards,
Fakhrul